Wednesday, September 14, 2011

This may come as a shock to everyone, but there are lots of jobs to do around our house. It's true. Xander loves to help out, but his ability to actually move the work forward is somewhat limited. One job that he can do very well is take messy diapers out to the garbage. He has become our default "dirty-diaper-taker-outer." Now, this job is not really as disgusting as it could be. By the time he receives the package, it has been placed into an old Walmart bag. The bag has been tied up so as to minimize exposure to any toxic contents. All he has to do is hold it by the handles, go outside and to the side of the house and deposit it in the trash can. Not too terrible, right. He often lets us know his displeasure at the assignment, but given the small amount of work he does overall, I'm not that concerned about it.

Apparently he is. Unbeknownst to us, he has begun protesting his lack of union representation through an act of civil disobedience. Taking these bags of human waste with a smile on his face, he has quietly been walking out the back door, stopping on the porch...and tossing them in the window well just to the side of the patio! Monday evening I happened to look down into said window well and there were at least 15 messy diapers piled up down there! I actually impressed myself with my reaction. First, I asked who had done this. Xander admitted it was him and I thanked him for his honesty. I then gave him a bucket and lowered him into the window well to clean up the mess. He pretty much freaked out in fear of spiders and whatever else might dwell down in those depths. I doubt he will ever put another diaper down there again:)

Meet Conner and Cali

When we fell in love 15 years ago, we started down a path that has been challenging, exhausting, and breathtakingly beautiful. Here we chronicle the blessings and stressings of parenting some pretty amazing children. We think they're the perfect travel companions as we look forward to the next fork in the road. Welcome to our journey.

Jeremy and Christianne

Taylor Jeremy--18

Parker Matthew--16

The red-headed social butterfly, he's our all-star athlete, top student, outdoor-loving, spunky second-born, with a heart of pure gold!

Jessica Anne "Jesi"--13

Our little princess with the big smile, Jesi loves dress-ups and tea parties, reading, playing with her siblings, and snuggling. She sparkles!

Jacob Michael-- 6/8/2004

Little one of heavenly birth, born too soon to bloom on earth. You have taught us so much--we love you, Jacob!

Emily Anne "Emmy"--9/28/2005

Emily's exquisite little hands and feet have left their mark in this world. Her body was tiny, but her spirit enormous. We miss her!

Elizabeth Mei "Elli"--12

Elli's world may be dark, but she's the light of our lives! Lover of music, chocolate, and Mommy's arms, she brings joy to all who know her!!

Gracelin Kate "Graci"--18

Showing true grace throughout her battles with heart disease and pulmonary hypertension, our Gracester is loved by everyone! She's smart, gorgeous, friendly, and has faith to move mountains!

Alexander Philip "Xander"--12

With a spunk and smile that could outmatch anyone's, our Xander has not let Cloves Syndrome get the best of him. Adopted at age 4 from China, he loves having a family, eating junk-food, and playing with his many friends!

Alexis Li "Lexi"--12

Meet the friendliest girl on the planet! Blind from birth, Lexi amazes all of us with her braille skills, determination, talents, but mosly by the way she spends her days SMILING. She is an angel in every way. We are thrilled to have our darling daughter home six years from China!!

Sophia Breanne "Sophi"--8

Her eyes called out to us from half-way around the world. Little Sophi is beautiful, smart, and coy. She can do amazing things with her little toes and we think she's about the cutest thing on the planet! Welcome home, baby girl!

Calais Rose "Cali"--16

Charming Cali joined our family in December of 2012. This girl is beautiful both inside and out. Born with spina bifida, Cali is confined to a wheelchair, but that does not keep her from enjoying life to the fullest. She is smart, opinionated, strong, and lovely in every way.

Conner Allen-- 16

Meet our newest addition! Wu Jia Xia is from Wuhan City in China. Blind from birth, he will blow you away with his incredible talent on the piano. More importantly, he is sweet, witty, kind and finally, OURS! Welcome home, Conner!